Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher open on Monday, as speculation over possible stimulus measures in China to bolster growth continued to support global equity markets.
Ahead of the open, the Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.26% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.27% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.35% increase.
Market sentiment remained supported after Chinese premier Li Keqiang said Friday the country has policies in place to support economic growth. The remarks eased concerns over recent signs of a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy.
U.S. equities also gained ground after data on Friday showed that U.S. consumer spending rose 0.3% last month after a downwardly revised gain of 0.2% in January.
The auto sector was likely to be in focus, following reports General Motors (NYSE:GM)canceled in 2005 a proposed fix in the Chevrolet Cobalt's ignition-switch, when a project engineering manager cited high tooling costs and piece prices.
The automaker had been studying ignition-switch failures for several months before making the decision. GM shares slid 0.32% in pre-market trade.
The health sector was also expected to be in the spotlight, as UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH)'s Optum technology unit was credited with helping fix the Obamacare website and was reportedly increasingly being used by state officials to salvage their troubled exchanges.
Among tech stocks, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares climbed 0.56% in early trading following news on Friday that the iPhone 6 will be released in September and will likely be offered in 4.7- and 5.5-inch versions with higher resolution screens than the iPhone 5 and 5s.
Elsewhere, Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) rose 0.33% pre-market after saying it has no plans to offer a free streaming media service. The comments came ahead of a media event scheduled in New York on Wednesday.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 added 0.18%, France’s CAC 40 inched up 0.01%, Germany's DAX edged 0.12% higher, while Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.24%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.39%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 0.90%.